The strategy for the Midland College baseball team as it fights to qualify for next month’s regional tournament is to play loose and have fun.

That approach seemed to work for the Chaparrals against Luna Community College on a warm Friday afternoon at Christensen Stadium as they run-ruled the Rough Riders in both games of a doubleheader. In the first game, Caleb Koedyker keyed a 12-hit attack with two home runs and five RBI in a 12-2 victory in six innings. Then in the second game, Chris Thibideau and Justin Clarkson keyed a 19-hit barrage in a 13-3 victory in seven innings.

With the doubleheader sweep, the Chaparrals improved to 27-22 and 13-17 in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference to stay in the postseaon race.

“We’re just trying to keep the momentum going,” said Koedyker, whose team has won five straight WJCAC games and 11 out of the last 14 league games. “We’re playing clean baseball and we’re playing good baseball. (The offense) was good to see. It was fun and it’s not just two or three guys. The whole team is playing well. That’s why we’re getting wins.”

A big key for the offense was leadoff hitter Blaine Prescott being productive at the plate and jump-starting the offense with most of his at-bats. The freshman second baseman from Amarillo was 6-for-9 at the plate with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored on the day.

“I’ve been working on sitting back on a pitch better and it’s working for me and for others,” Prescott said. “We’re just seeing the ball well and hitting the ball well as a team. We were hitting the ball hard today. We all had really good approaches at the plate today, putting the bat on the ball and finding holes.”

Added MC coach David Coleman about Prescott, “He’s just a really good player and a really good hitter and he got some pitches to hit. He didn’t try to do too much today. I thought he stayed within himself pretty good today.”

Prescott helped to get things started for the Chaps in the first game when he led off with a double and later scored on a Chris Shaw single inning to tie the game at 1 in the first inning.

Koedyker gave MC a 3-1 lead in the third with a two-run shot to left in the third. And then the Chaps added five more runs in the fourth on three hits -- including a two-run homer by Prescott -- a walk and a throwing error from Luna starter Santos Carrasquillos that led to two runs for an 8-1 lead.

Then with MC leading 9-2 in the sixth, Koedyker ended the game with his second home run of the game and 10th of the season with a three-run shot to left field.

“I was just trying to square up the ball and go up there with the mindset, I guess, of trying to hit a line drive,” said Koedyker of his home runs. “The wind helped a little bit.”

Brandon Courville (3-6) picked up the win by allowing two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

The Rough Riders (16-29, 12-18) jumped on MC starter Michael Brosig with two runs in the second inning of the second game, but the Chaps responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second to take the lead for good.

Brosig (5-2) settled down after that second inning and actually got stronger as the game went on. The Lee grad went five innings, allowed two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks.

Meanwhile the MC offense continued to add runs in each inning and the Chaps ended the game in the seventh when they scored four runs, capped off by a three-run homer to left by Bryndan Arredondo.

Justin Clarkson led MC in the game going 4-for-5 with a triple and two RBI; Thibideau was 4-for-4 with a long home run over the center field fence, four RBI and three runs scored; Prescott was 3-for-5 in the game with an RBI and a run scored; Chris Shaw was 2-for-4 with three runs scored; and Tony Reyes was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and an RBI.

“I thought offensively we were hooked in every inning,” Coleman said. “We didn’t give at-bats away, we had two-strike hits, we had some two-out RBI hits and I think we just constantly put pressure on.”

The Chaps look to continue the momentum today when they host the Rough Riders in another doubleheader at Christensen Stadium, beginning at noon today.

“It was huge,” said Prescott of the doubleheader sweep. “Every win matters from here on out. This will keep our confidence going into (today). “